Abstract
Ground support is an integral part of strategies to ensure the stability of underground excavations in rock. In a mining environment the long term performance of ground support is influenced by several factors including ground conditions and mining induced stress changes. In corrosive underground environments ground support can be compromised leading to loss of performance and potentially falls of ground that may compromise the safety of workers and damage to equipment. An improved understanding of the role of atmospheric and aqueous corrosion on the long term performance can facilitate the selection of ground support. The contribution of microbacterial influenced corrosion (MIC) on the corrosion rate and degradation of ground support has received minimal attention in the past. This paper confirms the presence of MIC of ground support in underground hard rock mines which resulted in considerable higher corrosion rates in otherwise similar environments. This can have significant implications in establishing long term ground support strategies.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
ASTM G1-03 Standard Designation (2001) Standard practice for preparing, cleaning, and evaluating corrosion test specimens. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428–2959, United States
ASTM G4-01 Standard Designation (2003) Standard guide for conducting corrosion tests in field applications. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428–2959, United States
Aziz N, Craig P, Nemcik J, Hai F (2015) Rock bolt corrosion—an experimental study. Min Technol 123(2):69–77
Béranger G, Mazille H (2002) Corrosion des métaux et des alliages, Mécanismes et phénomènes. Paris, Hermès Sciences Publications, Lavoisier
Chen H, Ramandi HL, Walker J, Crosky A, Saydam S (2018) Failure of the threaded region of rockbolts in underground coal mines. Min Technol 127(3):146–154
Craig P, Serkan S, Hagan P, Hebblewhite B, Vandermaat D, Crosky A, Elias E (2016) Investigations into the corrosive environments contributing to premature failure of Australian coal mine rock bolts. Int J Min Sci Technol 26:59–64
Dexter SC (2003) Microbiologically influenced corrosion. In: Cramer SD, Covino BS (eds) Metals handbook, corrosion, vol 13A. ASM, Park, pp 398–416
Dorion JF (2013) La corrosion du soutènement minier. Ph.D. Thesis, Université Laval, Québec
Dorion JF, Hadjigeorgiou J (2014) Corrosion considerations in design and operation of rock support systems. Min Technol 23(2):59–68
Dorion JF, Hadjigeorgiou J, Ghali E (2009) Quantifying the rate of corrosion in selected underground mines. In: Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS rock mechanics symposium. Toronto, 2009
Dorion JF, Hadjigeorgiou J, Ghali E (2015) Quantifying losses in support capacity due to corrosion. CIM J 6(3):149–156
Hadjigeorgiou J (2016) Rock support: degradation and failure. In: Ground support 2016, the eighth international symposium on ground support in mining and underground construction, Luleå, Sweden, 2–14 September. Keynote
Hadjigeorgiou J, Ghali E, Charette F, Krishnadev MR (2002) Fracture analysis of friction rock bolts. In: Proceedings 5th North American rock mechanics symposium and the 17th tunnelling association of Canada, conference: NARMS-TAC, 7–10 July 2002, University of Toronto Press, pp 881–887
Hadjigeorgiou J, Dorion JF, Ghali E (2008) Support system performance under different corrosion conditions. J South Afr Inst Min Metall 108:359–365
Hadjigeorgiou J, Dorion JF, Ghali E (2012) Laboratory and in situ investigations on the corrosivity of support systems. In: 46th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium held in Chicago, IL, USA, 24–27 June 2012. ARMA 12–299
Hassell R, Villaescusa E, Thompson AG (2004) Corrosion assessment of ground support systems. In: Villaescusa E, Potvin Y (eds) Ground support in mining and underground construction. Taylor and Francis Group, London, pp 529–542
Li C, Lindblad K (1999) Corrosivity classification of the underground environment. In: Proceeding of international symposium. Rock support and reinforcement practice in mining, Kalgoorlie. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 69–75.
Little BJ, Wagner PA, Mansfeld F (1997) Microbiologically influenced corrosion, corrosion testing made easy, vol 5. NACE International, Houston
Spearing AJS, Mondal K, Bylapudi G, Hirschi J (2010) The corrosion of rock bolts and a method to quantify the corrosion potential in mines. CIM J 1(3):213–220
Villaescusa E, Hassell R, Thompson AG (2008) Development of a corrosivity classification for cement grouted cable strand in underground hard-rock mining excavations. J S Afr Inst Min Metall 108:301–308
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the support of the management and onsite personnel of the participating mines. The authors further acknowledge the technical support provided by Professor Edward Ghali, Vicky Dodier, Daniel Marcotte, Geneviève Bruneau, Maude Larouche, Jean Frenette and Marie-Josée Bouchard.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dorion, JF., Hadjigeorgiou, J. Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) of Ground Support. Geotech Geol Eng 38, 375–387 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-019-01028-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-019-01028-3